This article about the popularity of English names among the English-speaking Chinese was interesting, I thought.
Basically English names persist because a) non-Chinese speakers find most Chinese names impossible to pronounce and b) they're viewed as "cool" for a variety of complex cultural reasons.
I've never liked the whole English name trend, and I prefer to address my students and anyone else I meet by their real name, whether I butcher its pronunciation or not. Fortunately Korean names, for me at least, are a lot easier to pronounce than their Chinese counterparts.
The author briefly touched on how so many Asians with English names make bizarre choices and stick with them even after being counseled that their appellation of choice sounds ridiculous to the native ear. That's certainly true. When I was in China, I taught a moon faced girl named "Ocean" and a shifty eyed boy named "Flea." The strangest name a student ever had, tho, was "Deathnote," pronounced "Deasuh-nosuh" by Koreans. I just can't see anyone with that sort of English name rising to be a CEO or Senator someday.
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